The Green Island
Geography The geography of the Green Island consists of hills on the eastern coastline that drop with cliffs into the water. On the other side of the hills, the altitude rolls down into verdant forests, and then into floodplains (see right). The population tends to fall as follows: Loxodon in the east, halflings in the forest, and kenku in the west, and a scattering of humans all about. The East The eastern hills of the green island look drastically different depending on what side you are on. From the west, they appear as rolling hills that slowly make their way up to around 150ft above sea level. They are covered in grassland, with the occasional patch of trees. The ground tends to be dry, and not great for agriculture. From the east, they look like massive cliffs, the harsh waves of the ocean are constantly scraping against the solid rock. These cliffs are known to be cavernous, and an old race of kenku used to settle in these mineral-rich caverns. The Green Forest To the west of the hills lies a slowly descending plain of forest. The forests of the Green Island are known for the presence of the Black Princess. A mythical halfling who rebuilt the forest after it was destroyed by greedy humans. She supposedly still haunts the forest, giving boons and curses to those who come upon her. She is also possibly the first halfling to come into existence. Regardless of her, there are many halflings who call this forest their home. These forests are home to numerous powerful natural creatures. This place is known as a conduit to the feywild. Whenever the Academy does experiments with passage to the feywild, they come to this place. Many of the halflings that inhabit the forest are unhappy with the Academy's presence, as they believe it interferes with their religious practices. The Western Floodplains In the west the island gradually turns into floodplains. The numerous rivers of this island are famously full of minerals, and, since this area was depopulated heavily in Turoon's rebellion, these floodplains are rapidly being repopulated by every humanoid around. Unfortunately for the local kenku, not all of these new inhabitants are friendly, many times kenku and human families have been driven out of their homes by angry kobolds and goblins. Strangely enough, the rivers seem to have changed completely after Turoon's rebellion, defying scientific estimates. This shift has marked this island as a point of interest for scientists everywhere, much to the dismay of the locals. Locations Loxodon Majority Cities Totford Totford is the capital, and largest city on the Green Island. It has around 1100 inhabitants, with 70% of them being Loxodons, and most of the rest being either Human or Kenku. It is controlled very heavily by the Greensteps. The city itself is nested in the crevasse between two ocean-side cliffs. It is made up mostly of wooden houses, connecting like a spiderweb up the cliffs. The harbor is always busy as well. Bothesbu Bothesbu is a monastery town that sits atop the highest cliff on the island. The town is entirely in one building, which harbors about 700 monks of all races, though the majority of them are Loxodon. The town is a hub of natural magic, and trees grow tall around the mona stery. Halfling Majority Cities Orwitfield Orwitfield is the halfling community nested directly in the middle of the Green Forest. It is the site of the famous myth of the Black Princess. In addition, it is rumored to harbor a coven full of Old Druids, all of whom are working to root out the Greensteps sympathizers in the island. Dobrid Dobrid is where the halflings meet the Kenku. It sits on a hill overlooking the beginning of the floodplains. A bunch of old ruins can be seen from the town center, but almost all of them are full of monsters now. Kenku Majority Cities Harleyme Harleyme is the Kenku cultural capital of the region. It embodies everything Kenku, and almost no other races have ever lived here. It is more populated than the other Kenku towns. It is also more population dense, as farmers have been pushed in repeatedly by the kobolds and goblins occupying the neighboring ruins. Skipton Skipton is the ancestral home Battleaxe-on-Thorns, and there is a uniquely expensive statue of him sitting in the town square. His teachings are taught as life lessons, and the kenku here live like monks in his honor. Newbigin Newbigin is the home of the silverwing kenku, the silverwings are the more hedonistic, southern cousins of the typical Kenku. This town is know for its massive parties and festivals, as well as its quality kenku wine. Government The inhabitants of the Green Island notoriously resisted the attempts at forming a government. They see governance as an evil they will only accept if completely needed. As such, they have a lose government system, but it is only around to enforce preexisting rules. This island has never seen war, so there is no army, and recolonization is done through mercenaries or adventurers. Leadership Arder Laster Arder Laster is the Governor of the Green Island. He is a middle aged (43) human. He is, like his predecessor, focused exclusively on keeping the people safe so that they may do their business unimpeded by the wilderness. While the government has never charged taxes, they are able to make enough money off the export of food to pay for the occasional adventurer party. His job is very limited, and he is not seen as an influential figure in the Green Island. Feylie Greenfoot Feylie Greenfoot is a prominent halfling merchant and the leader of the adventurer's guild. She is known around the isles as a swindler who "cuts deals so good she keeps the whole damn island afloat." The rumors about her are essentially true. She and her adventurer's guild/ trade guild called "Greensteps" make a ton of money by being middlemen between other traders. She knows how to make money, and she isn't shy about investing in local businesses for both their benefits. Greensteps Feylie Greenfoot's famous guild "Greensteps" is based out of the capital in Totford. She has compiled the nastiest, most wild, and most scheming people in the island and used them like chess pieces to seize control of most of the assets in the Green Island. She swindles foreign merchants, sells the services of her cadre of adventurers, and charges locals protection money on her way to getting rich. Extent of Control Greensteps' control over the government is done Machiavellianly. No one ever hears about the convenient stepping down of an important minister, or the disappearance of a too-popular anti-greensteps adventurer, but they all happen, and the Greensteps' fingerprints are all over it. They enjoy a similar relationship with the religious community, controlling the spread of new philosophy, and mitigating any statements that would go against their agenda. Military In terms of actual forces, the Greensteps do not have enough people to hold a standing army, but they do have enough to control every village in the island. The Greensteps tend to go around enforcing protection payments. However, they do actually hold up on their protection promises, dispatching of any nearby monsters. The issue with their protection policy is that the kenku of the west do not have the money to pay for these services, so they are under constant threat of monster attacks. Religion The universal religion in The Green Island is known as the Broken-Glass Order. It is more of a belief system than a religion, and their god is known simply as "The Forgotten One." Beliefs The Broken-Glass Order is worship through happiness. They believe in the tenets of hedonism, pleasure, and love, but they also focus on the ideas of meditation, inner peace, and calm. These two sides of the religion are supposed to combine to form a status of elation. They believe that once you conquer the sadness of the external and internal, your can reach an elation so great it can move mountains. The order's beliefs fall into two categories, the external and the internal. External The external beliefs of the Broken-Glass Order fall largely into the category of "if it makes you feel good, it is holy." They take this belief to the level of seeing sex, alcohol, and illicit drugs as prime tenets of their god. They believe the distribution of dopamine in the brain is the greatest form of worship. They also believe that The Forgotten One instills to its clerics the ability to defeat addiction and destruction caused by these drugs. The Broken-Glass Order do not generalize how external happiness is achieved for some people. They understand that some followers prefer family, health, and/or love for their worship, and they accept these forms as a valuable part of the order. However, the people that choose this lower octane type of worship are largely in the minority, and they are often looked down upon by their more hedonistic peers. Higher academics of the order respect the legitimacy of this kind of happiness, but the local drunk on the street? Not so much. The Broken-Glass order also believes in the elimination of barriers to happiness. They understand the need to eliminate problems like monsters, famine, or loneliness. The combating of these issues is certainly a holy objective for the order, but these duties fall more in the line of a paladin than a cleric. Internal The order is not all about drinking and orgies, they also preach the achievement of internal happiness as the key to elation. Specifically, they advise meditation, understanding oneself, and "the forgetting" as ways to achieve this objective. They believe that the internal elation is more important than the external; "The external without the internal is troubled by their problems, the internal without the external is strong in the face of trouble"(Forgetting Oneself, by Battleaxe-On-Thorns). Meditation Meditation is the key to combining the practices of understanding oneself and forgetting. This method is the tool by which your internal power can be combined into the state of elation. Higher monks of the Broken-Glass Order never go a day without a long meditation; they use it to stable themselves, and collect powerful internal energy. Understanding Oneself Understanding oneself is a crucial part of elation. The order preaches finding your limits and accepting them. They understand that not everyone has to move mountains, some people are elated serving drinks. They preach the finding of ones' limits as the ultimate understanding of ones' place in the universe. "The Forgetting" The Forgetting is all about choosing what is important. Battleaxe-on-Thorns always believed that "unhappiness is derived from the past, elation is derived from the present"(Forgetting Oneself). As goes this belief, the ultimate way to be rid of unhappiness is to forget it ever happened. Of course, the order does not expect people to be forget present problems, but they still believe that each day should be treated like a new life. They say that the instant a problem is resolved, "the lessons should be learned, then the burden should be forgotten"(Forgetting Oneself). Symbology The prime symbol of the order is a beer mug being stabbed through by a kenku beak. In this symbol, the mug represents the external, and the kenku beak represents the internal. Notably, the mug is never broken in this symbol, and the connection of the two represents how they come together to create elation. In terms of their supposed god, the Forgotten One is exactly that, forgotten. It is widely ignored by locals, and used only by the imperials for the sake of cataloging. The symbol for it is simply a black circle, but that symbol is never used on the Green Island itself. Structure The structure of the Broken-Glass Order is ambiguous and reputation based. Anyone can join the order if they say they do, but they may not achieve respect from their new peers if they do not follow the religion well. There are very few "churches" of the order, as worship happens everywhere. However, there are a few monasteries, and taverns are considered holy places. It is assumed that everyone follows the religion, but the special adherence to it can earn someone respect. Those who are well respected in the order are treated like holy men by the general populace. While no follower is ever named by a title, the power given to a cleric, monk, or paladin is easy to observe, and important to respect. Important Philosophers The most respected followers of the order are those who have shaped its literature. Becoming a popular holy writer is seen as the most noble an holy thing a person can do. Therefore, the most reputable and well known followers of the order are these authors. Battleaxe-on-Thorns Battleaxe-on-Thorns is the now deceased founder of the Broken Glass Order. It was said that his skill in combat and writing impressed Turoon enough so that he gave Battleaxe the right to lead a flock in the Green Island. This choice is notable, as Battleaxe is a kenku, and his people did not participate in the rebellion. During his time on this earth, Battleaxe-on-Thorns published the book "Forgetting Oneself." This guide to life has served as the primary holy text for the order, defining all the essential principles of the religion. Its influence can be found in every individual's life, and it is common to have a town scribe who only sells copies of this book. Battleaxe's contributions to the island have marked his birthplace in Skipton, and a large statue was erected there at the time of his death. The kenku there consider themselves blessed to be in his presence at all times. Leaves-Ride-on-Wind Leaves-Ride-on-Wind is a loxodon philosopher who founded the monastery in Bothesbu. He and his disciples prioritize elation through the internal tenets. He is popular among loxodon, but viewed as controversial by the rest of the land's population. = The Greatest Values = The Greatest Values is Leaves' first book. It remarks on the genius of Battleaxe's tenets of internal elation, and it focuses on how to prioritize which practices of his to focus on. It defines the internal elation as the more significant of the two aspects. = The Nature of Humanity (Selfishness) = This book is Leaves' attempt to integrate the notion of altruism into the established order. In this text he defines altruism as an impossibility in the real world, and decides that selfishness is the nature of people, regardless of situation. He decides that personal elation does not necessarily include that of others, but the elation of others can assist on one's path. Abe Rockwell Abe Rockwell is a human historian who followed the order to some extent. His contributions are not about development of religious thought, instead, he cataloged the history of the Shrouded Isles, and presented information which the order values as useful. Therefore, he is viewed as a paragon of intellect in the Green Island. = The Development and History of the Forgotten One = In his first book, Rockwell examines the history of how the order came to be, and how the original god was forgotten. He applauds Battleaxe-on-Thorns for his ability to parse together the cryptic energy of the island, and he decides that the Forgotten One was meant to be forgotten. = Where the Dragons Hide = In his second book, Rockwell searches for the physical locations of the dragons after Turoon imprisoned them. Here, he deduces that the dragons must have been stripped of their power in order to not have escaped from their prison. He also supports the theory that their power was not intentionally distributed, and instead naturally escaped out to its current locations. Society The Three Peoples There are three races who presumably originated on the Green Island. They are the Kenku, the Halflings, and the Loxodon, and they all have very different lifestyles and ways of thinking. These differences sometimes cause rifts between the three peoples, but they tend to unite around their following of the way of the Broken Glass Order. Kenku The Kenku are native to the eastern floodplains and swamps of the island. They are birdlike, and can be annoying, often parroting what others say instinctively. They tend to be balanced in their ways of following the order. However, they are known to have distaste for the new Leaves-ride-on-wind authored books and their popularity. Their dislike for these books is a product of their view on the Loxodons. Kenku tend to believe loxodons are aloof, selfish, and overintellectual. The kenku have a decent relationship with the halflings. Halflings The Halflings are native to the inland forests of the island. They are essentially smaller humans. Halflings are known to be religious deviants compared to the rest of the island. For one, they sometimes believe in local forest deities, and the tale of the Black Princess is often told as historical fact in their communities. In addition, they are known to favor the hedonistic side of the order, and often ignore the other teachings. Loxodons The Loxodons are native to the craggy cliffs and hills that span the eastern side of the island. They are said to be the oldest of the races on the island, tracing back further than even pre-history. That said, they are also known to be arrogant, aloof, and obsessed with knowledge and superiority. Where the other races see co-inhabitants around the island, the Loxodons see potential rivals around every corner. As such, they view both the other native races as below them. They specifically see the halflings as unintelligent drunkards, and the kenku as socially awkward conspirators. Humans Humans are not native to the island, but they have been around since before Turoon. While smaller in number than the native races, they are important to society. Since they have no native ground in the island, they are commonly employed as messengers, adventurers, and mercenaries. This tendency towards dangerous work has led them to be the prime employees of the Greensteps. As such, the other races know to not trust a human, as they could be danger in disguise. Resistance against the Greensteps The people of the Green Island fall into two camps, they are either payed by the greensteps, or they are despise them. Around 20% on the island is on their payroll in some way, and almost all of the inhabitants have interacted with them in some way. That said, resistance to them is difficult to come by. The Broken-Glass Order is not a true organization, and has no real standing forces, and the government has always been in the Greensteps' pocket. The small numbers of people in the island who do have tools to fight back rarely do, as the Greensteps are one of the only armed forces that can keep the monsters out of their backyards. The Kobold/Goblin Incursion In recent years, the populations of Kobolds and Goblins has seemingly exploded. Many of them have been forced out of their previously small enclaves, and now any pre-turoon ruins seem to be crawling with them. In the past months, they have even started pouring over into inhabited villages, raiding and sometimes wiping out those native to that land. No one has felt that incursion harder than the Kenku, who now live in fear that there could be gobloids around every corner. This crisis has also been responsible for the rising influence of the Greensteps. They have one of the only reliable adventurers' guilds, so many natives go broke paying for their services repeatedly. However, most people still view the Greensteps as an evil worth keeping around until they get the chance to dethrone them.